Follow on Twitter please: @rgroveslaw. I am the Director of the Business Law Program at Florida Coastal School of Law, which includes sports law issues. But before becoming an attorney I had a mother and father too. I was fortunate because if they gave me a penny I would owe them change. I became a tax judge and split the baby on occasion but tried most to be fair. After deciding I would rather be inspired to work harder and trust the journey than be uninspired and not work as hard, I went into private practice and became an equity partner of Howard & Howard Attorneys P.C., and counsel to Lewis & Munday, PC. I've represented multi-national corporations in multi-million dollar transactions and high profile entertainers in business and tax matters. Passion continues to be the plasma of progression as now I hope to share how good the profession can be to the new generation of counsel. So now I am a law professor, teaching business entities, securities, international business transactions, and the business side of sports. The passion includes writing. I authored a book, "Innocence in the Red Zone" regarding a client and former Michigan State head football coach Bobby Williams and several other articles regarding business, tax, and entrepreneurship. But my deepest passion - beyond family, is musical. I played piano for Magic Johnson's wedding, opened for Stevie Wonder, had a song recorded by Jerry Butler, and wrote a book about playing piano by ear with a soulful style - all eclipsed by writing songs for one's own wedding.

Defense, Big Money And Nationalism Win A World Cup For Germany

To state the obvious in a sport where scoring is as rare as American TV without commercials, defense in soccer wins championships. So it should surprise no one that Germany scored an ever-so-precious one goal, but still won its first World Cup since 1990 because Argentina could not score at all.

I wonder if I was the only one watching the World Cup and thinking back to the Chicago Bears Super Bowl win in 1986. They had a decent offense but nobody could score on them. The Bears suffocated the New England Patriots passing game, getting 7 sacks, and blockaded the Pats from running, holding them to only 7 rushing yards. So if they only scored a field goal they’d win 3-0. Yes, I know the Bears scored 46 points that day. Remember 16 of those points were from the defense and it was the “D” that created the dominance.

But on stage right now is international football. Defense and dominance play well together in that sport too. There was no need for a shootout. But if there was one, Germany has never lost one. Going into extra minutes, Argentina had not scored in 292 minutes. And they had only scored 8 goals all tournament. Germany scored 18. Most will say the best squad won.

But the whole truth is that it also takes money to build the best teams. Both Germany and Argentina have among the highest valued squads of 32 in World Cup competition. Argentina’s total market value is reportedly $654,482,640. Germany is at $621,815,994. In this sport, a team’s “total market value” is the sum of the players’ market values. In fact only Spain and Brazil are in the same financial zip code. Those values are based on an established formula that primarily includes salaries, statistics, age (obsolescence) and performance indexes.

The best teams also have star players who are paid to compete for championships. Argentina has Lionel Messi ($163,332,000). Germany’s highest valued player is Mario Götze ($61,249,500).

That last name may sound familiar.

He is the one who scored the winning goal for Germany, despite being benched and coming in as a substitute. Employers pay to increase the odds that their cream rises to the top in big games. For Germany the big money player paid dividends. Götze received a cross and was able to control it with his chest and then score. Argentine’s striker of lesser pay had the same chance but neither controlled the ball nor scored. They were both at the net in perfect position. One just out-executed the other – the “one” being Gotze, where the country got what they paid for.

For as much as we in the United States talk about wanting to be elite in World Cup football, note that the US total market value is $77,464,104. That is 28th on the list among 32. The value basement is occupied by Honduras. Brazil’s Neymar, alone is worth more than that, valued at $88,297,440.

And when it comes to having that go-to star, that game-changer who puts the team on his back and wills a victory, the US version of Messi-Götze is Clint Dempsey. Wonderful player, but his value number is $9,527,700. That is a twilight zone of penalty kicks away from those who fuel the best teams in the sport.

Another factor somewhat independent of financing is nationalistic synergy. Sixteen of Germany’s 23 players either play on the same team or against each other on a weekly basis in the Bundesliga.

The point is that Germany has 4 World Cups for several reasons. Argentina has 3. Brazil still leads with 5. All of them pay big money for big time players. It is no coincidence all three are among the best in the world every time the World Cup comes into view.

Of course money alone does not buy championships. Brazil has the highest valuation of any team at $718,299,900. But currency can be the plasma for bringing the forces together that increase the odds.

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